People mocked Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney for their religious backgrounds often during the presidential campaigns, but at least they never claimed to be on a mission to save the souls of Americans through government action. Oh, people accused them of wanting to do so -- to impose Southern Baptist or Mormon theology on an America that wants relentless secularism, but in point of fact both men gave stirring speeches on how their faith informs them personally but not their governance.

One campaign really has explicitly claimed to be on such a mission, however. Michelle Obama gave a speech at UCLA earlier this month in which she told supporters that her husband was the only man who could fix American souls -- if we elect him President first. Here's the transcript:

In 2008, we are still a nation that is too divided. We live in isolation, and because of that isolation, we fear one another. We don't know our neighbors, we don't talk, we believe our pain is our own. We don't realize that the struggles and challenges of all of us are the same. We are too isolated. And we are still a nation that is still too cynical. We look at it as "them" and "they" as opposed to "us". We don't engage because we are still too cynical. ...

Americans are not in debt because they live frivolously but because someone got sick. Even with insurance, the deductibles and the premiums are so high that people are still putting medications and treatments on credit cards. And they can't get out from under. I could go on and on, but this is how we're living, people, in 2008.

And things have gotten progressively worse throughout my lifetime, through Democratic and Republican administrations, it hasn't gotten better for regular folks. ....

We have lost the understanding that in a democracy, we have a mutual obligation to one another -- that we cannot measure the greatness of our society by the strongest and richest of us, but we have to measure our greatness by the least of these. That we have to compromise and sacrifice for one another in order to get things done. That is why I am here, because Barack Obama is the only person in this who understands that. That before we can work on the problems, we have to fix our souls. Our souls are broken in this nation.

It's hard to know where to start in with this speech. First, what evidence does Mrs. Obama have that the largest part of credit card debt goes to health care? Second, if she has seen the standard of living get progressively worse during her lifetime, she needs new glasses. The living standard of even those classified as poor now have per-person expenditures of the American middle-class of the early 1970s, according to the Census Bureau. Eighty percent of the poor live in air-conditioned housing, 43% of them own their own homes, and the average poor American has as much living space than the average individual living in Paris, London, Vienna, and Athens. Only 3% don't own a color TV.

But it's the notion that only Barack Obama can save our souls that is the most offensive part of the speech, by far. Government doesn't exist to save souls; it exists to ensure domestic tranquility and provide for the common defense. If I feel my soul needs saving, the very last place I'd look (in the US) for a savior would be Washington DC or Capitol Hill. I'll trust God and Jesus Christ with my soul, and I'm not going to mistake Barack Obama for either one.

This, though, is the religion of statism distilled to its essence. Only a government can rescue people from the consequences of their own decisions. Only government programs can provide for your every need, and only government can use your money wisely enough to ensure that your needs get covered. Individuals cannot possibly manage to help their neighbors through their churches or community organizations, let alone encourage people to do for themselves.

And all you need to enter the statist Utopia is to sell your soul. So that it can be fixed.

“Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.” CS Lewis

2
posted on 02/16/2008 8:21:40 AM PST
by SWAMPSNIPER
(THE SECOND AMENDMENT, A MATTER OF FACT, NOT A MATTER OF OPINION)

There is the man behind the curtain, George Soros with his fellow radical billionaires leftists ready to socialized America against our wills. Its like the horror movie “ Invasion of the body snatchers “.

If I feel my soul needs saving, the very last place I'd look (in the US) for a savior would be Washington DC or Capitol Hill. I'll trust God and Jesus Christ with my soul, and I'm not going to mistake Barack Obama for either one.

This is cynical, my dear Captain, very cynical. Obama will help us to overcome cynicism and to start trusting Obama. Hope and Change, my man!

It’s getting creepy with this talk of saving souls from the Obama campaign. I was going to say “a little creepy” but it is not — it’s very creepy. I think that you’ll get a good read on the nature of your acquantences and coworkers and neighbors relationship with God, whether extant or latent, by watching how they react to this cult of Obama. If they get chills and thigh thrills and start talking about Obama being the “New Testament” you’ll know where they are coming from. Not a good place to be when a political figure is your hope for a messiah.

12
posted on 02/16/2008 8:32:17 AM PST
by Greg F
(The RNC doesn't pick the winning candidate. The RNC sucks up to the winning candidate.)

"Americans are not in debt because they live frivolously but because someone got sick. Even with insurance, the deductibles and the premiums are so high that people are still putting medications and treatments on credit cards. And they can't get out from under. I could go on and on, but this is how we're living, people, in 2008."

Sounds like Oprah-speak to me. Many more Americans are in debt from buying junk they don't need than from "putting medications and treatments on credit cards" and you & I (and Mrs. Obama) know that! We don't want to wait and save for that big screen television, that mega barbeque grill, those expensive shoes, the stainless steel kitchen, etc. I do home loans as my main gig, and I see how people get into debt, and believe me, it's not usually medical bills!

“When I sat down with him, I found him to be unbelievably refreshing and smart and thoughtful,” says Wolf, who first met Obama at the offices of financier George Soros. The UBS chief has gone on to raise more than $1 million for the Obama campaign.

just wait until this islamic imposes his idea of theocracy upon the sheeple.

Why do people keep saying that? It couldn't be further from the truth. He is an ecumenist. It is only a charismatic ecumenist who can unite disparate groups toward a one-world religion, which is humanistic and godless in the end. Is there any better candidate in the world for that role than the multicultural, multiracial Barach Hussein Obama? At best a perceived messiah; at worst the actual antichrist. Counting down...

As I mentioned long ago on another thread: We do not know the meaning of Obama's "change." That is a dangerous thing. Some could be voluntarily walking blindly into, and voting for, the death of the U.S. via Islam.

Obama is NOT the guy we want in charge. Anyone who refuses to vote this year, or votes for a losing candidate, because John McCain isn't conservative enough...a portion of the blame will lie at your feet. (do you hear me, Ann?)

“If we cant see ourselves in one another, we will never make those sacrifices. So I am here right now because I am married to the only person in this race who has a chance of healing this nation!

Barack, as Oprah said, is one of the most brilliant men youll meet in our lifetime.Barack is more than ready, hell be ready on Day One, hell be ready in a year from now, five years from now, hell be ready! The question is, what are we ready for?

We say were ready for change, but you see, change is hard! Change will always be hard....Barack Obama will require you to work (for change). He is going to demand that you shed your cynicism, that you put down your division, that you come out of your isolation, that you move out of your comfort zone, that you push yourself to be better, and that you engage!

Barack will NEVER allow you to go back to your lives as usual, uninvolved, uninformed!

We have a chance not just to change history, but to change the world! We can change the world, yes we can! Yes, we can! Yes, we can! Yes, we can!!!"

(As this point, the crowd erupts with a chorus of, Yes, we can!!! over and over again.)

I don't see color any more, only politics, and on that front, it is definitely still "us" and "them". I don't engage because "they're" CRAZY, and I mean literally crazy, dangerously crazy. Check out the posts elsewhere on this forum regarding the protests in Berkeley over the Marine recruiting flap. Now imagine if those same people ever get the total power over us they want, AND take away our guns. Be afraid, be very afraid.

And things have gotten progressively worse because of progressives throughout my lifetime

I corrected Mrs. Obama's speech to reflect the reality of her lifetime.

Unlike Kerry, Obama Covets Soros’ Support
Robert B. Bluey, CNSNews.com
Wednesday, July 28, 2004
BOSTON  Without a formidable Republican opponent in his U.S. Senate race, Barack Obama has little reason not to take money from billionaire liberal financier George Soros, a man other Democrats keep at a distance.

When Obama took the stage Tuesday night for a prime-time address at the Democratic National Convention, the candidate for Senate in Illinois was introduced to a wider audience for the first time, bringing heightened scrutiny to the relative political newcomer’s campaign.
Story Continues Below

Democrats expect him to pass any test he faces. They view Obama as a rising star within their party, touting his good looks and ability to connect with voters. If elected Nov. 2, he would become the first black to hold a Senate seat since Carol Moseley Braun, also from Illinois.

Obama, however, is different from most Democrats because of his willingness to embrace the controversial Soros. Shortly after Soros equated the abuses at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Obama joined him in New York for a fund-raiser June 7.

The event, held at Soros’ home, boosted Obama’s campaign at a time he was still facing a challenge from Republican Jack Ryan. After news broke about information in Ryan’s divorce records, the candidate was forced to drop out. The Illinois GOP has yet to find a replacement.

Obama, meanwhile, has emerged as the party’s young face. He was selected over longtime party stalwarts to speak Tuesday night, and he has seized the opportunity.

Little has been made of his connection to Soros, although it is unique. Not only did Soros donate to Obama’s campaign, but four other family members - Jennifer, sons Jonathan and Robert and wife Susan - did as well.

Because of a special provision campaign finance laws, the Soroses were able to give a collective $60,000 to Obama during his primary challenge. Obama faced millionaire Blair Hull, which allowed donors to give more than typically allowed.

Daschle, Kerry, Boxer, Hillary, Leahy, Dean ...

Obama is one of only a handful of candidates to get a personal contribution from George Soros. The others include Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D.; Sens. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y.; Bob Graham, D-Fla.; John Kerry, D-Mass.; Patrick Leahy, D-Vt.; U.S. Rep. Tom Lantos; and former Vermont governor Howard Dean.

“Why did George support Obama?” his spokesman, Michael Vachon, asked rhetorically. “Because when they met in Chicago a couple of months ago, it was apparent that Barack Obama was an emerging national leader, and he would be an important addition to the Senate.”

Vachon said Obama was the only candidate this election cycle Soros had met personally, with the first powwow in March. Asked why Soros hasn’t sought out a meeting with Kerry, the man he is pulling for to defeat President Bush on Nov. 2, Vachon said it was just a matter of Soros keeping his distance.

“George is a major funder of an independent 527 group, and it probably makes more sense for him and Kerry to keep each other at arm’s length,” Vachon said.

Those meetings with Obama have caught the attention of the Illinois Republican Party, said spokesman Jason Gerwig.

“Barack Obama and his liberal voting record have gotten a free ride,” Gerwig said. “His aspirations seemed to be focused more nationally now than they do on Illinois, especially if you look at some of the money he’s taken from Soros and from left-coast liberals.”

On issues such as health care, education, energy and the economy, Obama has articulated defined positions on his campaign website. But on other matters, the candidate hasn’t been challenged to say where he stands. Obama’s campaign didn’t return CNSNews.com’s calls.

‘Socialist’

“He’s more of a socialist than he is even a Democrat,” said a critic, Cathy Santos, co-founder of the Chicago-based Republican Young Professionals. “A lot of his policies have the government taking care of people. Instead of giving people a leg up, he would rather give them a leg.”

Soros initially was attracted to Obama because of his vision on education and health care, Vachon said. But Santos said if Obama got his way, the U.S. health care system would be worse than what Hillary Clinton proposed after her husband was elected president. She said voters should be wary of Obama’s “any time, anywhere” stance on abortion.

Illinois Republicans have grown frustrated with the glowing media coverage Obama has received. The New York Times, New Republic and The New Yorker have all written at length about Obama, who is still only a state senator from the Midwest.

“He’s turned into being this darling, but he still hasn’t had to talk about the issues,” Santos said. “No one really knows where he stands on a lot of these issues. Until we have a Senate candidate, if we have one, no one’s going to know how liberal he is until he starts casting votes.”

We say were ready for change, but you see, change is hard! Change will always be hard....Barack Obama will require you to work (for change). He is going to demand that you shed your cynicism, that you put down your division, that you come out of your isolation, that you move out of your comfort zone, that you push yourself to be better, and that you engage!

Barack will NEVER allow you to go back to your lives as usual, uninvolved, uninformed!

"Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world." - 1 John 4:1

"Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them." - (Matthew 7:15-23)

“The whole modern world has divided itself into Conservatives and Progressives. The business of Progressives is to go on making mistakes. The business of the Conservatives is to prevent the mistakes from being corrected.”

39
posted on 02/16/2008 9:32:20 AM PST
by Old Professer
(The critic writes with rapier pen, dips it twice, and writes again.)

It is the Rhetoric of the mass murderers in history... It is the WE who only want to unite for the good against them who are the divisive ... We need change because everything is so bad and I am your projection candidate... So I will be all things to all people and stand for nothing and WE shall destroy them that are divisive... If you don’t agree with Obama you are obviously racist and hate filled..

Consevatives will be the equivelant of the KKK...

Jim Jones has nothing on this guy.... they are sucking the kool-aid down by the gallon.

40
posted on 02/16/2008 9:39:28 AM PST
by tomnbeverly
(If Islamic Jihad is an existential threat then the candidate that should be POTUS is a no brainer.)

If you find it hard to understand how people will fall for the Antichrist, just look at the disgraceful worship of this run-of-the-mill godless socialist. People have rejected God for so long they look at a bright, shining phony like Obama and see deity while despising the only One who can actually do anything for them.

We can't have any mention of Jesus Christ in this country, but Barak Obama can stand up and claim to have the power to save souls and nobody bats an eyelash.

Congratulations on the what I’m sure will be the stupidest post of the day (and possibly the week). Perhaps you were living under a rock for the 8 years that the 2 most evil, sociopathic people in the history of American politics ran the White House? What has Obama done that could be called evil when compared to the the daily works of the Satanic two-some?

48
posted on 02/16/2008 10:11:38 AM PST
by Hacklehead
(Crush the liberals, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentation of the hippies.)

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